Sms text message marketing

For Jeffrey Paul, his cell phone was the last bastion of communication solitude in a world overrun with telemarketing, junk mail and e-mail spam. But now, even his cell phone isn't safe from unwanted solicitations. The 40-year-old sales executive from Los Angeles said he uses text messaging sporadically to contact friends, so he was extremely annoyed when he started getting text messages offering him a deal to buy or rent a time-share from Webuyresorts.com. Even though the unwanted messages were costing Paul 10 cents a pop, he said he wasn't as annoyed about the cost, because he had received only a few of these messages. Instead, he was concerned that his cell phone would soon be hijacked by marketers, including his own cell phone provider, contacting him with unwanted advertisements. "We have everything to lose if text spam becomes as endemic as e-mail spam, and absolutely nothing to gain." --Jeffrey Nelson, Verizon Wireless spokesman "The real annoyance is that now I can't even … [Read more...] about Text message spam could spell trouble for text-based ads

Text messaging, the 20-year-old thumb-happy talk replacement that radically changed people's communications habits and enriched cellphone carriers, is on a decline. Mobile operators like Verizon and Vodafone lost a combined $23 billion of potential revenue in 2012 as users opted for other ways to send short notes to each other, market research firm Ovum notes, as reported by the BBC. Many phone owners switched to "chat apps." "Instant messaging on chat apps, such as WhatsApp, has overtaken the traditional SMS text message for the first time," writes the BBC, attributing that finding to another research firm, Informa. Chat apps carried 19 billion missives a day in 2012 compared to 17.6 billion for texts, Informa notes. Next year the gap will widen, to 50 billion versus 21 billion, the research firm predicts. Other chat app providers include Viber and KiK, all competing against services like Apple's iMessage, Blackberry Messenger and Facebook Chat Heads in an assault on … [Read more...] about The rise and $23 billion fall of text messaging

As digital marketing continues to grow, there are clear indicators that mobile is a key driver of new markets, products and services that delivery digital marketing content. The shifts in the mobile marketing landscape are remarkable. In October 2016, web browsing on mobile devices overtook desktop browsing.[1] As of May 2015, more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on desktops in the U.S.[2] Marketing in the mobile channel now makes up 21% of online spending, up from a mere 4% in 2010.[3] Indeed, real-time, location specific, personalized interactions with customers remains the “holy grail” of digital retail marketing. This year has been good to digital retail marketing companies and their clients. Two recent decisions on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lend clarity around the issues of 1) scope of consent to receive text messages, and 2) conditions under which consent cannot be revoked. The winners in these decisions are … [Read more...] about Who is winning in text message (SMS) marketing?

European telecommunications ministers gave their backing on Thursday to a plan to cap retail prices for sending SMS text messages and browsing the Internet using mobile phones while abroad.In September the European Union's executive body, the European Commission, proposed slashing both the retail and wholesale prices for text messaging by introducing caps of €0.11 and €0.04, respectively. Average retail prices are currently estimated at around 0.29 euros, the Commission said. [ Get the latest on mobile developments with InfoWorld's Mobile Report newsletter. ]It also proposed a cap on the wholesale price for downloading data of €1 per megabyte, and called for further reductions in the cost of voice calls when roaming."Ministers have answered the Commission's call for a speedy response to the SMS and data roaming rip-off very positively," said Viviane Reding, the telecommunications commissioner.E.U. citizens sent 2.5 billion SMS messages, generating €800 million … [Read more...] about Europe to cap prices for roaming text messages and data

If you're like any small business owner, you'll examine any and all ways to boost sales. One way is to use autoresponders to email potential and existing customers. Another effective method is the use of short message service (SMS) texts, which let you send targeted messages to cell phone users.If you've been reluctant to apply SMS marketing to your business, consider the following:As of June 2012, there are roughly 322 million wireless subscribers in the United States, according to CTIA. That equals 101 percent of the total U.S. population.Text messages are read within minutes of their arrival, compared to as much as 48 hours for email, according to The Mobile Marketer.Thirty percent of consumers respond to branded text messages, mobile marketing firm Hipcricket says.Mobile coupon redemption rates are 10 times higher than paper coupons distributed in newspapers or through the mail.Before you begin to create text messaging campaigns, there are a few things you need to know.First and … [Read more...] about How to Increase Sales With SMS Text Messaging

Over the weekend a screenshot circulating on Twitter caught our attention. Normally, this would be a one-off story for the weekly Rehashed round up, but this scam teaches a lesson that's worth some focus.The lesson is that Social Engineering – when used effectively – will eventually defeat every security control you can throw at it.The picture below was posted to Twitter by Alex MacCaw, co-founder of clearbit.com.It shows a text message from someone attempting to gain access to a Gmail account. It's a total scam, but consider for a moment what the message implies and what it's asking for.This is a clever attack, and it's sure to have worked in some cases, simply because of the context. The message is telling the victim that someone is attempting to login to their Gmail account, and offers a basic ID on the "attacker".This opens up two scenarios:Those who are technically inclined will realize that IP addresses can be spoofed, and don't really do much when it comes to … [Read more...] about Need to bypass Google’s two-factor authentication? Send a text message

Text messaging isn’t just a convenient way to chat with friends. It’s also a powerful mobile marketing tool for small businesses. The vast majority of Americans own a cellphone, and most use their phone to send and receive text messages, also known as SMS messages. More important, cellphone users are more engaged with SMS messaging than they are with other mobile marketing avenues like email or social media. Most cellphone users have programmed their phone to alert them whenever a new SMS message arrives, and the majority of messages are read within a few minutes of delivery. Still, some business owners are hesitant to adopt SMS messaging as a promotional tool, believing the platform to be ineffective. In reality, SMS marketing is cheap, easy and highly valuable. Read on for five reasons you should consider using SMS marketing for your small business today. 1. It's opt-in Many traditional modes of advertising rely on the law of large numbers to succeed. By blasting your … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons to Try Text Message Marketing for Your Small Business

Ken Barber is Vice President of Marketing for mShopper.com. Text messaging is a quick, easy way to contact a large number of people at once. It can also be used as an interactive tool to engage consumers. This is a great tool for your business to take advantage of and, if done properly, can have huge impact. Here are a few tips to follow. Stay on your shoppers' radar An occasional text with a spectacular offer or memorable message is effective at keeping your shoppers thinking of you — instead of your competitor — when they realize they need to make a purchase. mShopper research showed that just the act of sending text messages led to a statistically significant increase in mobile website sales, even if the shopper did not click the link in the text alert. You never know when a shopping need will occur, so why not try to be on their radar at all times? Reward loyal customers with exclusive offers Mobile shoppers love deals — the research shows it again and … [Read more...] about Text Messaging as a Business Tool

Need a better way to reach shoppers and boost sales this holiday season? Text messaging may be the answer. Whether you send plain text messages or branded images and videos, mobile marketing can attract more buyers throughout the holidays, from Black Friday and Cyber Monday to Christmas and post-holiday retail sales. Mobile marketing, also known as text message marketing, is an effective way to notify consumers and clients about sales, deals and other special promotions via short message service (SMS) and multimedia message service (MMS). Unlike other forms of marketing, mobile marketing also provides an opportunity to interact with customers on a personal level via devices they use the most and using a medium they typically can't live without. According to payvia, a mobile payments and mobile marketing company, with smartphone sales up 45 percent, retailers have an opportunity to increase sales by leveraging mobile marketing this holiday season. And given that 98 percent of SMS … [Read more...] about How to Put Text Message Marketing To Work This Holiday Season

More than 90 percent of mobile phone owners use text messaging. It has quickly become one of the fastest and easiest ways to communicate with friends and family. Knowing this, marketers have jumped into text messaging as a way to reach customers and clients. With people always on the go, text-message marketing — also known as mobile marketing and SMS marketing (short message service) — has become an effective way for businesses to alert customers and clients about special promotions and deals, send them coupons and keep them informed about company news. As with email marketing, text-message marketing requires customers and clients to opt into the service. Once they sign up and provide their mobile phone number, businesses have the right to send them text messages about what's going on with the business. The key to text-message marketing is to regularly engage customers to build a two-way dialogue with them. There are three main features that businesses can use to … [Read more...] about Text-Message Marketing: Tips, Tools & Services